Refrigerator



A. LENNING Aprifl 7, 1942.

REFRIGERATOR Filed April 25, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VE NTOR.

' Patented Apr. 7, 1942 UNITED STAT REFRIGERATOR Alvar Lenning, Stockholm, Sweden, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Servel, Inc., Dover, DeL,

a corporation of Delaware Application April 25, 1935, Serial No. 18,117 In=Germany October 25, 1932 My invention relatesto refrigerators audit is an object of my invention to provide an improved refrigerator cabinet and cabinet door structure as will appear upon consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and of which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view taken on line 2-2 in Fig. 1; 1

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a member adapted for fabrication of the door of the refrigerator shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a member adapted for fabrication of the refrigerator cabinet shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on lines 5-5 inFigs.3and4. a

This applicationrelates back for common subject matter to and is a continuation in part of my application Serial No. 662,651, filed March 25,

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, a refrigerator cabinet I0 is provided with a door II which afiords access to athermally insulated storage compartment I6. An exterior casing for the refrigerator cabinet I0 is provided by a front panel 12, side panels l3 and a top panel I l. The cabinet is provided with a suitable base IS. A closure member ll affords access to an apparatus compartment in the lower part of the cabinet. The present invention is directed particularly to the structure of the door II and the structure of the cabinet around the door opening.

Referring also to Fig. 2 of the drawings, the refrigerator storage compartment I6 is formed by a generally rectangular metal shell or inner casing 18, referred to as a l ner. The liner I8 is open at the front and is interiorly coated with porcelain or otherwise suitably treated to form a sanitary lining for the refrigerator storage compartment IS. The liner I8 is surrounded by suitable thermally insulating material IS. The edge of the front panel l2 of the refrigerator is formed with an intumed flange 20 around the door opening of the food storage compartment l8 and is spaced from the forward edge 2| of the liner l8. For the purpose of structurally spacing the edges of the front panel 12 and the liner l8 without transmission of heat by conduction therebetween, and also for the purpose of providing a finished and neat appearing door opening, I provide a novel'trim member 22, which may be referred to as a breaker strip. The member 22 is shown in front elevation in 4 and is formed of a thin, relatively flat band of a suitable nonabsorbent thermally insulating material which may be, for instance, Bakelite. The member 22 is molded as a single piece and in the shape of a substantially flat strip shaped to conform to the door opening as determined by the spaced edges 2| and 20 of the liner l8 and the front panel [2. Both edges of the member 22, or'portions thereof are formed with peripherally extending grooves 23. In the present cabinet, the door opening is substantially rectangular and slightly rounded at the corners. The member 22- is slightly enlarged along its edges and the grooves 23 are formed in these enlarged edges 24. The member 22 is placed in the door opening of the cabinet and the edge 'of the liner is received in the grooves in one edge of the member 22, and the flange 20 on the frontpanel I2 is received in the grooves in the other edge of the member 20. In fabrication, the member 22 may be first placed in position with its inner edge telescoped over the edge of the liner l8 and the front panel 12 next placed in position with its door opening flange 20 telescoped into the forward edge of the member 22. It will be understood that the edges of the liner and front panel removably extend into the grooves 23 in the strip 22 so that the parts may be disassembled for replacement or repair.

The door ll comprises an inner metal plate .25, generally referred to as a door pan, and an outer metal wall 26. The door pan 25 is flanged inwardly (toward the door) around its edge. The outer metal wall 26 is turned inwardly over a substantially rectangular wooden frame 21 forming a ledge 28. The edge of the outer plate 26 is also provided with an intumed flange 29. Be-

tween the door pan 25 and the outside plate 26 is placed suitable thermally insulating material 30. The flange 29 on the outer plate 26 and the intumed edges of the door pan 25 removably extend into grooves along the edges of a second breaker strip 3| which may be formed of the same material as the breaker strip 22. The

parts of the door II are secured together by 

